Alex and Sarah first made friends with each other during Sarah's freshman orientation at college. Alex, a sophomore at the time, was volunteering at the orientation when a sprightly lass approached him. This peculiar girl was quite different from all the rest--it was something in her eye, her posture, her smile. They immediately fell in love! Or so they thought. That moment was not the end of our story but merely the beginning of what would be a monumental three-year struggle. For, at the end of that first semester of puppy love and awkward glances, Alex did the unthinkable. On a cold February morning in the main campus, the next semester, Sarah received a call from Rome (where Alex was studying abroad), telling her she had to forget he ever existed. They had to cut it all off. They needed space and time. What was he thinking? To this day, Alex is not quite sure himself, but the space and distance, though a great trial for him and Sarah both, was absolutely necessary. It was in that purgative time that God was teaching them to rely on Him alone--a lesson that will stay with them for the better, forever. After a long 8 months of no communication at all, Alex came back from Rome and saw Sarah again in the fall. This second meeting was quite different from the first. There was no infatuation, no puppy love, no shallow affection. Instead, there would now be a small, growing feeling at the bottom of each of their hearts that they were called to something greater than they would have even known possible before. It took Alex the better part of a month to finally approach Sarah and work things out. He didn't want to think much of it at the time---he just wanted to settle their past---but what came of their new relationship, this more sober relationship, quickly became very intense. It was clear this time that there was something more important going on. It wasn't long until he knew he was to marry her on October 7th, 2023, just a few days before they started officially dating. After a conversation that can only be described as heavenly, he went to the chapel before bed and was struck at the realization that it was the very last day of the 54-day rosary novena that he had been praying---and he had been praying for clarity in his vocational discernment. The rest is history. Glory to Jesus Christ!